2003-2007, Closed-door
meetings where the Klamath Tribes want
690,000 acres of the Winema/Fremont National Forest
returned to
them again, land they had sold.

Here are
explanations/quotes of participants in talks
regarding tribal land, irrigation water, and water
marketing. Following that is a collection of related articles and
information sent to KBC website.

Klamath Water Users(KWUA)want
certainty in their irrigation supplies. Explanation of private meetings
and Klamath Water Users Association's
(KWUA) participation,
by Dan Keppen, Executive Director KWUA, 12/15/03
"At the Shilo Inn meetings, we are not negotiating
agreements or settlements, and none of the
irrigators have held themselves out as representing
the agricultural community. The community should be
assured that any sort of proposed settlement can
never be implemented without congressional action,
which will require a great degree of local and
regional support. There is simply no chance of a
"secret deal" being cut on this matter."

Klamath Tribes
want 690,000 acres of the Winema/Fremont
National Forest returned to them again ."Itís not a
land for water swap thatís being suggested. The
Interior Department and the State of Oregon have
said that land return is unlikely in the absence
of a water settlement. And the Tribes have said
that a water settlement is unlikely in the
absence of the land return." Bud
Ullman, attorney for the Klamath Tribes.

KBRT (Klamath Basin
Rangeland Trust)
has invited people to meet. At the meetings have
been Project irrigators, Upper Basin irrigators,
Bill Bettenberg from the Department of the
Interior, representatives from KBRT,
representatives from the Klamath Tribes, The
Nature Conservancy and The Hatfield Committee.
Thomas,
KBRT: "We act as an
intermediary between the government and
landowners in a water marketing plan....They
paid us the first 2 years $300 per acre for any
acres we signed up. We had a limit of 3000
acres the first year, 9000 last year....We pay
the landowners $180 and use the rest for the
science to show the government they're getting
what they pay for"Thomas,
"This is a tool. We'd like to make
the tool available to whoever wants to use it.
I don't set a goal on it...its voluntary. The
alternative is a bigger water bank and that
won't be voluntary... The
less water that gets generated from Upper Basin or from
storage or from Iron Gate, the more water that's
going to get asked from the Project."

Department of the Interior (DOI) Bill
Bettenberg,
as quoted by the Herald and News 10/9/03: "He said the Interior Department is not going to cut
any unilateral deals in the water issue. Any deal
made with the Tribes needs to be supported by other
interests in the Basin. 'At the end of the day, we have to have something
where the water users, the Tribes and the broader
community are all on board,' he said."

Klamath Bucket Brigade and The Klamath Basin
Alliance submitted petition #1 and #2 and
asked KBC to post them.
Dr Calvin Hunt, former Physician for the
Klamath Tribes, submitted Petition #3, Liberty
Alliance.These petitions are not sponsored by or affiliated with Klamath Water Users
Association or Tulelake Growers Association.

Forest PETITION #3
Address at bottom of petition.
Request to Elected and Agency Officials that
absolutely no part of the former Reservation
land
will ever be given to the Sovereign
Klamath Tribes. Submitted by Dr. Calvin Hunt

Forest PETITION
#1
Request to Elected and Agency Officials to
Maintain Intact the Winema and Fremont National
Forests as part of our National Heritage for the
use of all citizens.

Basin
Alliance websiteThousands of petitionshave been coming in to Basin
Alliance and Liberty Alliance from the
community against the proposed tribal
reacquisition of land, and regarding the
community against Rangeland Trust renting
more water with federal funds, destroying
our cattle industry.

FOREST TOUR HOSTED
BY
THE KLAMATH TRIBES
This is a complete transcript taken from videotape
This day-long tour was conducted October 17, 2003 for the
purpose of showing to local farmers, ranchers,
businessmen, and the Klamath County Commissioners, tribal
biology and the proposed forest land acquisition.

tour stop, photo by Barb Hall

Some of the topics include sucker habitat,
tribal traditions, thinning brush, deer-take
practices, power plants, gentlemen farmers,
and termination.